100 U.S. Organizations Release Statement Urging Biden “to End the U.S. Role in Escalating” the Ukraine Crisis

More than 100 national and regional U.S. organizations released a joint statement Tuesday urging President Biden “to end the U.S. role in escalating the extremely dangerous tensions with Russia over Ukraine.” The groups said “it is gravely irresponsible for the president to participate in brinkmanship between two nations that possess 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.”

The statement warned that the current crisis “could easily spiral out of control to the point of pushing the world to the precipice of nuclear war.”

Release of the statement came with an announcement of a virtual news conference set for Wednesday morning -- with speakers including a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, Jack F. Matlock Jr.; The Nation editorial director Katrina vanden Heuvel, who is president of the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord; and Martin Fleck, representing Physicians for Social Responsibility. Journalists can sign up to attend the Noon EST Feb. 2 news conference via Zoom by clicking here -- https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pIoKDszBQ8Ws8A8TuDgKbA -- and will then receive a confirmation email with an access link.

Organizations signing the statement included Physicians for Social Responsibility, RootsAction.org, Code Pink, Just Foreign Policy, Peace Action, Veterans For Peace, Our Revolution, MADRE, Progressive Democrats of America, American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord, Pax Christi USA, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Center for Citizen Initiatives, and the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security.

Outreach for the statement was coordinated by Code Pink and RootsAction.org. Below is the statement’s full text.

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A Statement from U.S. Organizations on the Ukraine Crisis

[ February 1, 2022 ]

As organizations representing millions of people in the United States, we call upon President Biden to end the U.S. role in escalating the extremely dangerous tensions with Russia over Ukraine. It is gravely irresponsible for the president to participate in brinkmanship between two nations that possess 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.

For the United States and Russia, the only sane course of action now is a commitment to genuine diplomacy with serious negotiations, not military escalation – which could easily spiral out of control to the point of pushing the world to the precipice of nuclear war.

While both sides are to blame for causing this crisis, its roots are entangled in the failure of the U.S. government to live up to its promise made in 1990 by then-Secretary of State James Baker that NATO would expand not “one inch to the East.” Since 1999, NATO has expanded to include numerous countries, including some that border Russia. Rather than dismissing out of hand the Russian government’s current insistence on a written guarantee that Ukraine will not become part of NATO, the U.S. government should agree to a long-term moratorium on any NATO expansion.

Signing organizations

Physicians for Social Responsibility

RootsAction.org

CODEPINK

Just Foreign Policy

Peace Action

Veterans For Peace

Our Revolution

MADRE

Progressive Democrats of America

American Committee for US-Russia Accord

Pax Christi USA

Fellowship of Reconciliation

Center for Citizen Initiatives

Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security

Alaska Peace Center

Arise for Social Justice

Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests 

Backbone Campaign

Baltimore Nonviolence Center

Baltimore Peace Action

BDSA Internationalism Committee

Benedictines for Peace

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists

Beyond Nuclear

Campaign Nonviolence

Casa Baltimore Limay

Chapter 9 Veterans For Peace, Smedley Butler Brigade

Chicago Area Peace Action

Cleveland Peace Action

Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach

Community Peacemaker Teams

Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety

Continuing the Peace Dialogue

Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Washington DC

Eisenhower Media Project

End the Wars Coalition, Milwaukee

Environmentalists Against War

Extinction Rebellion PDX

First Unitarian Society - Madison Justice Ministries

Food Not Bombs

Foreign Policy In Focus

Frack Free Four Corners

Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution

Global Exchange

Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space

Grassroots International

Hawaii Peace and Justice

Historians for Peace and Democracy

Interfaith Peace Working Group

International Tribunal of Conscience

Just World Educational

Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War

Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Maryland Peace Action

Massachusetts Peace Action

Metta Center for Nonviolence

Monroe County Democrats

MPower Change Fund

Muslim Delegates and Allies

National Lawyers Guild (NLG) International 

New Hampshire Veterans for Peace

New Jersey State Industrial Union Council

North Texas Peace Advocates

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Other98

Pace e Bene 

Parallax Perspectives

Partners for Peace Fort Collins

Peace Action of San Mateo County

Peace Action WI

Peace Education Center

PeaceWorkers

People for Bernie Sanders

Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter, Baltimore, Veterans For Peace

Physicians for Social Responsibility, AZ Chapter

Prevent Nuclear War/ Maryland

Progressive Democrats of America, Tucson

Proposition One Campaign for a Nuclear Free Future

Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center 

Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin

San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility

San Jose Peace and Justice Center

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas - Justice Team

SolidarityINFOService

Traprock Center for Peace & Justice

United for Peace and Justice

United Nations Association, Milwaukee

Veterans For Peace, Russia Working Group

Veterans for Peace, Chapter 102

Veterans For Peace Chapter 111, Bellingham, WA

Veterans For Peace Chapter 113-Hawai’i

Veterans For Peace Linus Pauling Chapter 132

Veterans For Peace - NYC Chapter 34

Veterans For Peace - Santa Fe Chapter

Veterans Peace Team

Western North Carolina Physicians for Social Responsibility

Western States Legal Foundation

Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice

Women Cross DMZ

Women Against Military Madness

Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER)

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom US

Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy

World BEYOND War

350 Milwaukee